Mitchell Grubler works with advocates and civic groups to preserve historic sites in the four boroughs outside of Manhattan.

Grubler was born in Flushing Hospital in Queens and grew up in Mill Basin, Brooklyn. He has a Bachelor's degree in speech and education, and a Master's degree from the historic preservation program at the University of Vermont.

He served as executive director at the Alice Austen House Museum in Staten Island, and is now vice president for the Administration of Grants with the Four Borough Neighborhood Preservation Alliance, which was founded eight years ago.

“We felt that city agencies were neglecting the boroughs other than Manhattan,” Grubler said, citing the Landmarks Preservation Council as an example. “So we formed a group that would advocate for city agencies and other government entities to recognize the historical places in those boroughs.”

The Queens Preservation Council also formed at the same time around eight years ago, of which Grubler is now the board chair.

The two organizations have had a major impact on protecting historic sites in Queens and the other three boroughs outside of Manhattan, particularly in the last five years, Grubler said.

“The nature of the neighborhoods in the other boroughs from Manhattan are very different,” he said, for example, they don't have the high rises that are found in the city's center borough.

“There are a few bills passed on the state level that benefit homeowners and communities in low-rise neighborhoods that we've helped to push forward,” he said.

One of his duties with the preservation councils is to testify at Landmarks hearings on behalf of the groups.

Recently, he successfully fought with Four Borough to extend the Park Slope Historic District, and is currently advocating to do the same in Carroll Gardens.